RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ADHD AND ANXIETY IN BOYS - RESULTS FROM A FAMILYSTUDY

Objective: Recent studies have found an increased risk for both anxiet y disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the adult relatives of children with ADHD in comparison with adult relativ es of normal controls. Such findings may account for the high rates oi comorbid anxiety found in children with ADHD, and they suggest a rela tionship between the two disorders. However, additional studies are ne eded to address this relationship that include both anxiety disorder a nd normal control groups. Method: The first- (n = 239) and second-degr ee relatives (n = 1,266) of clinically referred boys with ADHD (n = 49 ), clinically referred boys with anxiety disorder (n = 46), and contro ls who have never been psychiatrically ill (NPI controls) (n = 37) wer e assessed with structured interview and diagnosed according to DSM-II I-R criteria. Lifetime rates of ADHD and anxiety disorder were then co mpared for relatives in the three proband groups. Results: Female rela tives of ADHD probands had significantly higher rates of anxiety disor der than female relatives of NPI controls. However, relatives oi anxio us probands and NPI controls did not differ for ADHD. Furthermore, no evidence of cosegregation of anxiety disorder with ADHD was found in t he relatives of probands in the two patient groups; Conclusions: ADHD and anxiety may share common risk factors but appear to be independent ly transmitted in families. The high rate of anxeity in female relativ es of ADHD probands was comparable with that found in relatives oi anx ious probands and warrants further investigation.